031: SoraRabbit Watches: Star Wars The Clone Wars Season Two

Welcome back to the latest installment of SoraRabbit Watches! In this post I’ll be tackling the second season of The Clone Wars. This season was advertised with the tagline “Rise of the Bounty Hunters”. This is most likely due to the season beginning and ending with different crews of Bounty Hunters. Another crew is shown midway through the season. I was excited for this season since I have always loved the Bounty Hunters of the Star Wars universe. (Especially the Fetts, but Greedo and Bossk are cool too.)

This season is where the chronology starts to get confusing. As a quick reminder, for some reason LucasFilm decided to produce episodes out of order, going back later to fill in blanks. For instance, many of the episodes in this season take place prior to the Season One finale. Episode 15 takes place in the middle of Season Three and Episode 16 takes place before anything else. It’s chronologically speaking the very first episode of the series. It’s confusing and unnecessary, but ultimately it still works as a story without having to know all this. Someday I may rewatch the entire series in the official LucasFilm order, but we’ll see.

In my post about Season One of the Clone Wars I went over the basics of the series and several of the recurring characters. It was pointed out in my first post that there were many characters I sort of glossed over, and I will attempt to remedy this in this post, taking a moment to explain a bit about the characters I missed before. Still, if you haven’t read my Season One post, I would suggest doing that first since I will not be getting into the history and relationships of the main characters very much here.

The legendary Jedi Master Mace Windu. (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

As a quick recap, the Clone Wars details the war that occurs between Episode II and Episode III of the mainline Star Wars film series. (This war was referenced as early as A New Hope.) The Separatists are seemingly led by Count Dooku, a Sith lord and former Padawan of Yoda. However they are secretly led by Darth Sidious (who is actually Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine) who is playing both sides. He is also assisting the Galactic Republic, which consists of the Republic military, Clone Troopers, and the Jedi Order. The series shows the battles between both sides during the three year conflict.

Season Two was made up of 22 episodes. These are episodes 23 through 44 of the overall series. Here are the summaries of each episode of Season Two.

Does job dissatisfaction come standard with their programming? (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

Episode 23 begins a three part story arc involving the Bounty Hunter Cad Bane and a plot (hatched by the nefarious Darth Sidious) to steal a very valuable Jedi holocron. Holocrons are cubes that contain data on various subjects. They are kept in the Jedi Archives. Cad Bane’s team consists of Cato Parasitti, a shape shifter, and a sarcastic droid named Todo 360.

Anakin Skywalker’s Padawan Ahsoka Tano is being very mouthy and has to be slapped down by the Jedi for disobeying orders. She lands herself in Jedi Archive duty which is coincidentally where Cad Bane and his crew are heading. Cato infiltrates the Archives and distracts them while Cad Bane manages to get the holocron and escape. She lets them know Bane’s next visit is to the Jedi Master Bolla Rapal. This is when Mace Windu figures out what Bane is truly after. Bolla Ropal is the keeper of the Kyber Crystal. When used with the holocron, data would be revealed about the locations of all the future Younglings (force-sensitive children) in the galaxy. So, obviously, this could be very dangerous in the wrong hands and could cause lasting damage to the future of the Jedi Order.

Cad Bane faces the Jedi. (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

A lot of stuff happens between Parts 1 and 2, with the narrated intro serving to bridge the gap and get us up to speed. (Season One did this often and I’ve come to appreciate it as a storytelling tool. It keeps the plot moving forward, skipping less important bits.) They jump to Cad Bane already having captured Bolla Ropal and rendezvoused with the Separatists. We’re in the midst of a space battle. Ahsoka, Anakin, Captain Rex, and some clones board the Separatist ship as Bane interrogates Ropal, accidentally killing him.

Bane uses Ahsoka as bait to lure Anakin into a trap in order to get the Jedi’s help in unlocking the Kyber Crystal. After killing two clones, Bane fakes his death and put on the armor of trooper Denal, stowing away aboard the Republic ship.

Part 3 starts instantly with Bane’s escape. Bane’s new order is to kidnap four of the force-sensitive children and take them to planet Mustafar. (Note that this is the planet where Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin duel on Episode III, and where Anakin is defeated, becoming more machine than man.)

Kenobi and Mace track Bane and capture him but it’s too late, he’s captured two children already. Since Bane’s mind is too strong for Jedi Mind Tricks, Anakin helps the other two Jedi, the three of them ganging up to force the information out of him. Bane manages to get away and they save the kids. Also the holocron was recovered. They have no idea Darth Sidious was behind the plot (not knowing at this point that he even exists.) Sidious’s plan was to turn the children into spies.

Space’s version of a Zoom call. (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

Episode 26 at first glance seems to be a self-contained episode but is actually the first in a big 5-part story arc. This episode involves Senator Padme Amidala being charged with spying on her old “friend” Senator Clovis. The Jedi suspect him of working with the Seperatists. We get to see some of Anakin and Padme’s clandestine relationship. The Jedi are so blind to some things— Palpatine’s treachery, Anakin’s secret marriage. They’re certainly not as all-seeing as they believe. Anakin’s attempt to dissuade Padme from her mission and his jealousy over her past “friendship” causes friction between the couple, making her feel Anakin doesn’t trust her or her abilities.

Padme and Clovis meet up with Senator Dod (one of the bug-eyed Trade Federation aliens from the prequels.) Anakin poses as a pilot and C-3PO is there too, tending to Padme. Clovis and Dod are plotting to build a huge droid factory on the planet Geonosis with the assistance of the Geonosian leader Poggle the Lesser. Padme is poisoned by Dod and Clovis, unaware of the plot to kill her, helps to get the antidote. Padme makes off with the hologram plans for the factory, leaving Clovis to be punished by the angered Dod.

Geonesians are kinda weird. (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

In part 2, using the information Padme gathered, the Jedi rush off to Geonosis in an attempt to retake the planet and shut down the droid factory before it becomes operational. This is mainly a battle-focused episode, with Kenobi being shot down, Anakin and Ahsoka attempting to shut down the guns defending the base, and Master Ki-Adi-Mundi attempting to push through the defensive line.

Some interesting notes here, there are references to the first Battle of Geonosis, which we saw near the end of Episode II. (Mundi was in that battle. He’s the one with the forehead you could see from space.) We get to see Admiral Wulf Yularen displaying his tactical skill. Yularen is a recurring Republic Admiral that showed up throughout Season One, but I neglected to mention in my post. Oops. The voice actor is the same one who serves as narrator of the series, recapping at the beginning of the episodes. (It’s never been made clear if they’re the same character or not.) The Admiral has a bit of an antagonistic relationship with Anakin, often being annoyed by the Jedi’s rashness and recklessness. Coolest of all, two of our old clone trooper friends from Season One came back… Waxer and Boil! (They were a part of the Battle of Ryloth and saved the Twi’lek girl.) Their role in this episode is to locate and rescue Kenobi after his crash. It was a minor role, but I’m always happy to see familiar clones return.

Ki-Adi-Mundi and his impressive head. (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

The battle looks bleak. The Republic are outnumbered and the Separatists are well-fortified. The Y-Wing bombers sent by Yularen turn the tides of the battle, allowing Anakin to come up with a plan to take out the shield generator. They force the Geonosians to surrender.

Luminara and Barriss. (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

Part 3 concerns the attempts at infiltrating the droid factory itself. We meet up with Master Luminara Undali and her Padawan Barriss Offee. (Side note, I didn’t realize it, but Barriss was actually a part of the Battle of Geonosis too, having appeared in live action prior to her introduction in this episode.) The idea is posed of sending the Padawans into the catacombs below the factory to infiltrate it and destroy the power generators. While they are doing this, the older Jedi will keep Poggle’s forces busy topside. Anakin hesitates, but Ahsoka, annoyed at his doubt in her abilities, insists on the plan.

Poggle has a way with words. (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

Poggle has a surprise for the invaders… a new type of Super Tank with impenetrable armor. The Padawans fight their way through the catacombs and manage to take control of one of the Super Tanks. They decide to use the tank to destroy the power generator, understanding that this plan will likely result in their deaths. The explosion destroys the factory, and luckily the heavy armor of the tank keeps the pair safe.

A couple of character notes: Anakin is stifling Ahsoka’s growth with his “helicopter parenting” and Undali shows some concern over the attachment he’s developed for her. We know attachment is one of the greatest dangers a Jedi faces, leaving them susceptible to the temptations of the Dark Side. Barriss is respectful and polite, clearly a bit further in her training than Ahsoka. The two become fast friends, working well together. Their conflicting personalities and styles mesh.

The Geonesian Queen. (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

In Part 4, while Ahsoka and Barriss are sent off to recover, Kenobi, having recovered from his own injuries, returns to help Anakin track Poggle. Poggle has retreated to the Progate Temple after the destruction of his droid factory. In this temple the heroes are faced by zombie Geonosians… they realize the rumored Geonosian Queen must reside in the Temple. The telepathic bond to the hive hind is so strong that it stays connected even after the warriors die.

Kenobi attempts to reason with the Queen, Karina The Great, but she would rather infect them with her larva. Somehow the Queen is able to talk, a trait not shown by any other Geonosian so far. After a struggle, the good guys manage to escape, causing a cave in. The Queen’s fate is not made clear, but they do manage to take Poggle into custody, which is a huge win for the Republic.

Anakin’s slow descent to the Dark Side. (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

Part 5 shows the voyage to deliver Poggle the Lesser to Coruscant, where he will be tried for war crimes. Before leaving the temple, clone trooper Scythe witnesses a Geonosian brain worm hatching from an egg. (These are the larva shown in the previous episode.) The worm crawls into Scythe’s nose, infecting him, although no one realizes this. While they travel, Scythe infects other clones, beginning to take over the ship.

As Ahsoka and Barriss battle the infected clones and try to figure out what’s happening, they decide to send the order to quarantine the ship in order to keep everyone else from getting infected. Before they can regain control of the ship, Barriss is infected as well.

Anakin loses control during his interrogation of Poggle, resorting to force choking him… which is a nice foreshadow to his eventual fall to the Dark Side. He learns that the brain worms are affected by the cold, and relays this intel to Ahsoka.

The Padawans clash. (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

Ahsoka lowers the temperature, incapacitating the infected clones. The possessed Barriss and Ahsoka battle. In the process Barriss has a moment of clarity and begs her friend to kill her. Ahsoka is unable to do this and manages instead to kill the worm as it emerges from Barriss’s mouth. Before the two freeze to death, they are rescued by Kit Fisto.

Kit Fisto is just so jolly. (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

As she is recovering, Ahsoka struggles with her decision to spare Barriss’s life, wondering if it was the right call. It turned out all right, but easily could have gone all wrong. Wouldn’t the wiser option have been to kill Barriss in order to save the others? Anakin comforts her, explaining the Jedi’s role is to save as many people as possible.

I agree with Grievous here. (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

Episode thirty-one starts a two part arc. The Jedi have finally tracked down General Grievous, leader of the droid armies. They are boarded by Grievous’s forces and Jedi Master Eeth Koth is captured. (Koth was a member of the Jedi Council, and appeared in the movies, although this is his first appearance in the Clone Wars.) Grievous reaches out to the Jedi over hologram to taunt them. It seemed he just kidnapped Koth for fun, but it turned out to be a trap to lure more Jedi to him. He just likes killing Jedi. He’s a simple cyborg.

This is where we see some of the Clone War’s supposition that the viewers know seriously obscure Star Wars facts. A seemingly new Jedi was present for many scenes and joined in on the mission. She went unnamed for most of the episode and I had to look her up. According to the ever-useful Wookiepedia, her name is Adi Gallia and she was present on the Jedi Council in Episode I, but did not join in on the Battle of Geonosis.

Anakin and Gallia work on saving Koth while Kenobi faces off against General Grievous. GG mentions that he just wants all Jedi to die. Grievous is very good at escaping. They came close to capturing him, but the General crab-walks away just in time. He crashes on the planet Saleucami.

In Part 2, Kenobi, Cody, and Rex go off to search for the General while Anakin provides air cover. Grievous is looking for an escape pod to get off the planet, dealing with his inept Battle Droids and their low batteries. During Rex’s part of the search he is gravely injured and the clone troopers in his charge take him to a farm to recuperate. There they meet a Twi’lek named Suu and her two kids. Rex soon learns that Suu’s husband is a clone who defected from the Republic. His name is Cut Lawquane.

Rex outside Cut’s home. (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

Cut lost the rest of his squad and left the Republic to settle down on the planet as a farmer. He fell in love with Suu and adopted her children. (Clones likely have no ability to breed.) This brings up many questions that the show doesn’t answer… mainly how Cut was able to circumvent his programming and his inhibitor chip that was implanted in all clones to ensure their obedience. It’s most likely that he just managed to develop his free will to the point that he could ignore the chip. Only one other clone has been shown so far to do this… in Season One a clone named Slick proved to be a traitor spying for Asajj Ventress.

There’s a tense moment where the kids manage to activate some droids. Cut and Rex have to work together to protect the family. Kenobi fights with Grievous again, but the slippery General makes it to the escape pod and gets away once again. Rex prepares to leave and chooses to let Cut live in peace with his family, despite duty dictating that he should turn him in. He tells Cut that his injuries have made his memories unclear, so he’s “forgotten” that they met. Cut offers to let him stay, but Rex declines, stating his family is elsewhere.

“This weapon is your life.” (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

Episode thirty-three is a single episode story, but is a critical one for Ahsoka. While she and Anakin are searching for an arms dealer, she manages to have her lightsaber stolen. She is too ashamed to admit this to Anakin and instead recruits an elder Jedi, Master Tera Sinube, to assist her in tracking down the thief. During the search, which leads the pair into the Coruscant underworld, Ahsoka is forced to learn a very valuable skill that she has been sorely lacking… patience. This is due to the fact that Sinube is frustratingly slow in everything he does and deliberate in his actions and thought. As the lightsaber changes hands and a murder mystery unfolds before them, Ahsoka is able to see the value of being patient and thinking through every action carefully. Sinube and her have drastically different outlooks and approaches and she can see that a balance between the two is vital to success. Although there are times to act, waiting sometimes yields better results.

After recovering her lightsaber, Sinube asks Ahsoka for a favor… to tell her story to the Younglings being taught by Master Yoda. Ahsoka humbly tells the young Jedi about her mistake. She states that their lightsaber is their life and teaches them about the virtue of patience. (Side note: I love that Yoda is basically a Kindergarten teacher.)

Yay Mandalorians! (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

Next up is the start of a three-part arc that begins the story of the Planet Mandalore. This planet and its people become very important in the Clone Wars and other related Star Wars tales. Mandalore is a planet that is striving to remain out of the war, although their people were once a warrior race and found themselves at odds with the Jedi many times. Notable Mandalorians in Star Was lore include Bo-Katan, Sabine Wren, and Din Djarin. This arc has far-reaching implications for not only this series, but also Rebels and the Mandalorian. Arguably these could be the most important episodes of Season Two.

In this episode we learn that there are 1500 neutral planetary systems that want no part of the war. Duchess Satine Kryze is the leader of these neutral systems. Obi-Wan Kenobi was sent to see her due to the suspicion that she may actually be working for the Seperatists. When meeting with the Duchess, Kenobi reveals that he once met a man in Mandalorian armor… Jango Fett. He is told that Jango may have had the armor, but he was no Mandalorian. It was an insult that he wore it. All their warriors were exiled to the moon of Concordia and were rumored to be dead. Satine insists to Kenobi that she wants nothing to do with the war and is frankly insulted that he has come to check up on her.

Duchess Satine is not pleased. (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

Duchess Satine is a strong leader, devoted to the well-being of her people. She took over after a civil war that was very costly for her people, with many lives lost and the planet left in disarray. Since then she has taken a firm stance of non-violence. She fears that Kenobi’s presence on Mandalore indicates the Senate wants to forcibly take control of the planet and involve them in the war. We learn that Satine and Kenobi knew each other years before when he and his master Qui-Gon Jinn were assigned to protect her. Over the course of the three part arc, it is strongly hinted that they were more than just friends.

Long story short, there is a terrorist group called the Death Watch, made up of the exiled warriors of Mandalore. They are working with the support of Count Dooku. This is actually a pretty good plan from ol’ Dookie— the Death Watch is trying to overthrow the government and influence the neutral worlds to join the Seperatists.

Vizsla and the Darksaber. (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

The armored Death Watch agents attack Kenobi and their leader turns out to be the Governor of Concordia, Pre Vizsla. He reveals himself and shows that he possesses a black lightsaber, a relic called the Darksaber with origins long ago in the time of the Old Republic. (A time period thus far little explored in Star Wars canon.) After an embarrassingly brief duel, Vizsla is defeated and escapes.

In Part 2, Satine is ferried to Coruscant to speak before the Senate. The Jedi and clones are protecting her from potential assassination. Of course an attempt is made. A robot was stowing away on the ship and one of the “neutral” senators, Merrik, turns out to be a traitor. He kidnaps Satine, holding her at blaster point. This is a scheme by the Death Watch. Kenobi and Satine distract Merrik with “false” professions of love, turning the tables on him. (Kenobi claims that he would have left the Jedi Order for her had she asked… true or a ruse? Hmm…) Merrik then tries to get Satine to break her oath of passivism by killing him. She struggles with this, but doesn’t have to make a decision, as Anakin executes the traitor, stabbing him from behind. (Another moment where the Imperial March plays, foreshadowing his inevitable fall.)

There are a ton of holograms on this show. (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

In Part 3, they have arrived on Coruscant so Satine can argue her people’s wish to stay out of the conflict. Dooku plots to have her assassinated and a couple of the attempts almost work. Despite the risk, her fear is that if the Republic guards her, her people will go to the Death Watch’s side. A Mandalorian delegate named Golec shows proof that the Death Watch is attempting to take over Mandalore in the Duchess’s absence. The Senate votes to occupy Mandalore for the good of the war. Satine learns that Golec is behind the recent attempts on her life and also doctored the proof that convinced the Senate to vote on occupying her planet. Before she can do anything with this information, Golec is killed by a member of the Death Watch.

Satine is framed for Golec’s murder and goes on the run, Kenobi assisting her. After much running and fighting, the two are able to present the evidence that Golec doctored the proof and the Senate rescinds their decision to occupy Mandalore. Dooku and Vizsla are angered at the setback, but neither have given up their nefarious plans.

POLITICS! (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

The next three episodes are single episode stories. The events of Episode 37 actually take place midway through Season Three. This episode focuses on Padme Amidala and contains much political intrigue! It also features two recurring politicians from Star Wars: Mon Mothma (who gave a rousing speech in Return of the Jedi) and Senator Bail Organa (The adoptive father of Leia Organa-Skywalker-Solo.) Also featured is Padme’s Rodian uncle Onaconda Farr. (If you recall my Season One post he temporarily joined the Separatists before being talked back onto the side of right by Padme. He’s not actually her uncle, that’s an affectionate term.) Farr is accompanied by his protégé, another Rodian named Lolo.

There is an important bill being debated in the Senate. Kamino (the planet where the clone troopers are created and trained) wants to make more clones to help the war effort. Padme introduces a counter bill to cut military spending, believing that producing more clones will cost too much and also prolong the war. Senator Burtoni— herself a Kaminoan— is shockingly for the idea of making more clones.

As the group of pro-peace Senators share a celebratory drink in anticipation of the vote going their way, Farr is poisoned and dies. Chancellor Palpatine brings in an investigator to find out who killed him, a man with a spectacularly annoying voice, Divo. (Seriously, his voice is weaselly and grating. The character himself is plain silly, making the episode painful to watch.) Padme investigates the matter herself and it comes out that the poison was Kaminoan in origin and only affects Rodians. Senator Burtoni is taken into custody, although she claims innocence. Padme suddenly realizes she actually is innocent… all the senators were drinking that night. If the poison only affected Rodians, then why didn’t Lolo die too? It turns out Lolo blamed Farr for getting Rodia into the war and wanted to take over his seat. Lolo is arrested and unfortunately the bill to make more clones passes. Palpatine tries to comfort Padme, explaining that more clones can only lead the way to peace.

There’s never any shortage of droids. (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

In Episode 38, Anakin is trying to break a Seperatist blockade on planet Christophsis and save Senator Organa. Christophsis was the site of some of the earliest battles in the Clone Wars, and actually was the planet they were working to liberate in the film that began the series. Kenobi has a stealth ship and the Seperatists are led by a tarantula-looking dude named Admiral Trench. Admiral Yularen had battled Trench in the past. After some fancy cloaking work, Anakin manages to send Trench’s own torpedoes back at him, killing him and destroying the blockade.

A couple of interesting notes on this one: Despite being dozens of episodes into the series, chronologically this takes place before any other episode. This is actually Yularen and Anakin’s first meeting, occurring before the Admiral becomes annoyed with Anakin’s behavior. Also, when Organa is asking for help, his hologram says “Help us General. You’re our only hope.“ Which is a nice call-back to Leia’s hologram message to Kenobi in A New Hope. (Er, call forward?)

Episode 39 involves Anakin and Kenobi attempting to save a medical station orbiting the Planet Felucia. This is another planet from a previous episode… this is where the pirate Hondo kidnapped Dooku and the Jedi. The pair crash (again… seriously, Anakin cannot keep ships in the air) and helps a village fight off pirates. Kenobi is initially hesitant to help, wanting to get back to the war, but eventually relents. The villagers also hired some Bounty Hunters named Sugi, Embo, Rumi Paramita, and Seripas. They teach the farmers to fight and successfully fend off the pirates, who are led by none other than Hondo, the pirate who was behind the plot to ransom the Jedi and Dooku in Season One.

Notes on this episode: The episode is dedicated to Akira Kurosawa, and is an homage to his film The Seven Samurai. (There are also similarities to the much later episode from the Mandalorian entitled Sanctuary, where Mando and Cara Dune must teach farmers to fight off raiders.) This planet is home to some Jungle Rancors. (A Rancor was featured prominently in Return of the Jedi as Jabba’s pet.) Also, Anakin has the chance to kill Hondo, but chooses to spare his life, showing that he’s not yet too far gone to show mercy.

And there go all the droids. (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

Episode 40 is a two part arc. It begins with a huge exposition dump. A scientist has come up with a devastating weapon known as an electro-proton bomb. The Republic uses it on planet Malastare to end a long battle. The planet is key due to the plentiful fuel that could be harvested there. The Separatists are trying to occupy the planet and the Republic is attempting to get the planet’s people, the Dugs, to sign a treaty to join their side. (Notable Dugs in Star Wars lore include Sebulba, Anakin’s opponent in Episode I’s infamous pod racing scene, and Balder, the leader of an opposing tribe in the fantastic canon Phasma novel by Delilah S. Dawson.) The bomb is only meant to harm electronics, so it is meant to destroy the droid army but leave the Jedi, clones, and Dugs alone. It works, evaporating the droids (also disabling the tanks and Anakin’s robot hand) but it then causes a huge sinkhole. While the Dugs worry about their ecosystem, the Republic goes to save the clones who fell into the hole.

The mighty Zillo Beast. (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

Unfortunately for them something dangerous comes out of the hole. The Zillo Beast, a long-thought extinct lifeform indigenous to the planet. The Dugs want to kill the beast, but Mace is more lenient, stating that it is a one of a kind creature. They learn that the fuel acts as a gas to hurt it. However, the Dug’s attempt to kill it just makes it go crazy, forcing the Jedi to help. They eventually wear it down, shooting it into a coma. Mace wants to transport it to an uninhabited planet, but Palpatine orders it be returned to Coruscant for study. This idea that meets with resistance from the Jedi because it’s completely bonkers.

Coruscant at night. (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

So in Part 2 a highly dangerous and unpredictable giant lifeform is brought into a heavily populated area to be experimented on. Everything should go smoothly, right? Haha wrong. The studies show that the Zillo Beast’s skin is super strong and impervious to lightsabers. The scientists also suspect it is sentient. (A theory that is seemingly proven by the fact that it seems to know when Palpatine is insulting it.)

Anakin is about to do something reckless again. (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

Of note here is that the tense conversations between Mace and Palpatine show that Mace is beginning to grow suspicious of the Chancellor’s motives and methods. This foreshadows their eventual showdown in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. By the time of this film, the Jedi Council suspect Palpatine is corrupt and order Anakin to spy on him. I will be looking for more signs of Mace’s growing mistrust as the series continues.

They try to make a gas to kill the Zillo Beast, but instead it just enrages it, like last episode. (Who could possibly have seen that coming?) As everyone except for Palpatine expected, the Zillo Beast soon breaks free and begins to Godzilla its way through Coruscant in the hunt for the Chancellor who ordered its death. It also King Kongs its way up a tall building. (I’ve discovered the joy of using Kaiju as verbs. God help us all.)

They gas it and bomb it and eventually are able to kill it. The Jedi feel bad about this, but the people of the capital city had to be protected. Palpatine secretly gives the order to the scientists to clone the beast… a fact that seems like it will hold dire consequences later in the series, right? Yeah… nope. I looked it up. Nothing else happens with the Zillo Beast in this series. It isn’t cloned into an army of hard to kill alien Kaiju, or made into a weapon or armor… nothing. If the cloning ever went anywhere, it has not yet been revealed. The idea is just silently shelved. A loose plot thread that will continue to flap in the breeze. Pity.

Boba is a fun kid. (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

Episode 42 starts the three part arc that closes out the season and involves the return of a young clone named Boba Fett. I had been waiting for this story! I knew young Boba Fett was in this series thanks to a spoiler I came across somewhere. (I think it was when I looked up his appearance in one of the Lego Star Wars games.) Seeking revenge against Mace Windu for killing his dad Jango, Fett poses as a member of the Clone Youth Brigade as they go on a field trip aboard the ship Endurance. He is nicknamed Lucky by the other clone kids. (For those who don’t know or recall, Boba Fett is an unprogrammed clone of his “father” Jango Fett, who was used as the genetic template for all the clones. He was created without an inhibitor chip or behavior modification.)

Fett wanders off and sets a bomb in Mace’s quarters. After a close call, a clone trooper dies in the explosion instead. The ship is on alert and Fett receives a call on his com link to blow the reactor core instead. He hesitates in this, not wanting anyone but Mace to die. Despite his misgivings, he does it anyway. Admiral Killian, the ranking officer on the Endurance, orders the cadets to be sent off in an escape pod and Fett goes with them. Killian and Ponds (a returning clone from Season One) stay on board to try and land the ship on a nearby planet.

The Hunters are here. (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

The pod is docked by a familiar ship… the Slave I, a ship that belonged to Jango Fett and later Boba. The ship is piloted by Aurra Sing (from the finale of Season One) and Bossk. (Bossk is a lizardy Bounty Hunter who was shown briefly in Empire Strikes Back and mentioned in Solo.) Fett is revealed to the cadets and jettisons their pod, going off with the Bounty Hunters, who had helped him infiltrate the Endurance in the first place.

Boba Fett’s crew. (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

Part 2 takes place on planet Vanqor. Anakin, Mace, and R2-D2 are searching for Admiral Killian who managed to crash land the Endurance. They find assassinated clone troopers. Mace is annoyed by how Anakin treats R2 as a friend rather than a tool. (We also learn a very interesting tidbit that I’ve long suspected… R2D2 was programmed to feel, which explains his occasional reactions of fear and nervousness.) The pair of Jedi come across Jango’s helmet and Anakin stupidly picks it up. Mace remembers Boba Fett witnessing his father’s death and realizes just a bit too late that this is a trap. He saves Anakin from the exploding helmet, but they are trapped under rubble.

We learn that the Bounty Hunters were hired by Dooku, which isn’t much of a shock. The other Bounty Hunter on the team is a big surly alien named Castas who complains a lot. Boba convinces them to find proof of Mace’s death. R2 has to defend the Jedi against both the Bounty Hunters and the monsters that live on the planet. Proving how useful his quirky programming is, R2 successfully chases away the Bounty Hunters. However, realizing Mace is alive, they jam communications. R2 plays Lassie and flies off to the Jedi Council to warn them about Anakin and Mace’s predicament. (What’s that boy? Anakin fell down the well again?) Master Plo Koon and Ahsoka rush off to save the trapped Jedi. Mace thanks R2 for his bravery, realizing it’s useful to have a droid that is not like all the others.

In Part 3, Ahsoka and Plo Koon are searching for Boba Fett. Costas is complaining about how complicated the job has become and Fett is feeling guilty about all the killing. (He only wanted to kill one specific guy.) Aurra orders Fett to kill Commander Ponds as a message to the Jedi, but he balks. Angrily, she executes Ponds herself. (RIP poor Ponds. Note: Ponds was an old-school clone, part of the first batch. As such, he was involved in the clone’s first battle on Episode II. He also appeared during the Battle of Ryloth in Season One.)

Aurra Sing is an old friend of Jango’s, which is likely how Boba fell in with her. (Side note: In the film Solo, Lando revealed that Tobius Beckett gained notoriety for killing Aurra Sing, pushing her and causing her to fall to her death. So now you know how she ends up.) Sing’s crew lands on planet Florrum, a place we have seen several times. Her old lover Hondo (the pirate from earlier and Season One) is there and she wants his help with her high-ranking hostages. He refuses to help her, not wanting the heat. But he does state he won’t get in her way, because he knows what happens when you cross her. As if on cue, someone crosses her. Castas attempts to turn on the gang by contacting a buddy of his on Coruscant, which angers Aurra. She kills Costas, horrifying Fett.

During their investigation in Coruscant’s underworld, Master Plo Koon reminds Ahsoka that patience is important and keeping her ears open rather than acting could be the right call. She practices this and learns the location of the Bounty Hunters from Costas’s friend. After a brief scuffle with underworld thugs, the Jedi arrive on Florrum and try to convince Fett to turn on Sing, stating that he is not a killer and has a choice. Sing runs off, leaving Boba Fett behind and triggering his abandonment issues. Hondo actually helps in this episode, convincing Fett to tell the Jedi where the hostages are. Sing tries to escape, but Ahsoka forces Slave I to crash. The remaining two hostages are saved and the three Bounty Hunters are taken into custody. Fett angrily tells Mace that he’ll never forgive him, but Mace bluntly tells him he’ll have to get over it. End of season.

Master and student. (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

Thoughts: I enjoyed this season even more than Season One. While Season One did a lot of the setup and found the foundation for the series, this season worked with everything already in place, allowing it to explore more with the characters and concepts. While there were a few one-shot episodes, this season was mainly longer arcs, with the Geonosis storyline taking up 5 episodes. I like how they do their arcs. While still a part of the longer story, each episode has its own focus and a conclusion of sorts.

My favorite episode this season was a little harder to pin down. I very much enjoyed the Cad Bane three-parter that started the season and the Boba Fett three-parter that ended the season. The middle part of the season introduced the Mandalorians and the interesting characters of Satine Kryze and Pre Vizsla, both of whom become very important to the series.

But I would have to say, after deliberating on it, that my favorite episode was the 10th episode: The Deserter. Some of the voice work on the episode annoyed me (Suu’s voice was out of place and her son was voiced by the actor who voices Phil and Lil on Rugrats, which I found distracting.) However, the writing was on point. Rex’s meeting with Cut Lawquane and his choice of duty over peace was done well. Although the clones are bred for loyalty, they have a certain level of choice, being able to decide for themselves if they follow their programming or forge their own path. Going hand in hand with that, although Rex identifies his duty would be to turn Cut in to the Republic for his desertion, he chooses to leave him to live a peaceful life with his family. Rex knows it would it would be wrong to impose his own sense of duty onto Cut. Duty gives Rex a sense of purpose, but he still has free will. I really expected Cut to be killed off in this episode, sacrificing himself to save his family. I’m glad that that didn’t happen, and he was given some peace. With that said, I cannot help but wonder if Order 66 (see my previous post for more info on this) effected him in any way. It’s something to ponder. I truly hope it missed him and he got to live out his life.

Captain Rex. (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

As always with this series, we met many clone troopers this season. Recurring clones included Commander Cody, Captain Rex, Commander Ponds, Waxer, and Boil. As mentioned above, we met Cut Lawquane, the renegade retired clone. New clone troopers included Denal, Koho, Jet, Trapper, Gree, Buzz, Jessie, Hardcase, Kix, Crys, Mixer, Redeye, Hawkeye, Scythe, Ox, Edge, Havoc, Crasher, Silver, Comet, and others that were not named. Some survived, some died. We also meet some young clones: Hotshot, Whiplash, Jax, and other unnamed members of the Clone Youth Brigade. With how quickly clones grow, they could be adults by next season, so I’ll be looking out for their nicknames to be mentioned.

Count Dooku and holo-Sideous. (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

Interestingly enough, many characters were absent this season or had their roles reduced. There were no appearances by Jar Jar Binks, Nute Gunray, Wat Tambor, or Asajj Ventress. Count Dooku (Prince Dookie) only appeared twice, once via hologram. General Grievous only appeared in two episodes. To make up for the missing villains, more focus was given to Cad Bane, Aurra Sing, Poggle the Lesser, and Boba Fett. Another interesting villain is Pre Vizsla and his terrorist group the Death Watch. They are sure to return in later seasons.

Cad Bane is quickly becoming one of my favorite villains in the Clone Wars. He’s very efficient and fearless. He is not afraid of Jedi and showed no hesitation in killing them. Although showing some doubts on kidnapping innocent children, he also didn’t refuse since he was getting paid. He was also resistant to Jedi Mind Tricks, requiring three Jedi to overcome his defenses. He served as a nice counter-balance to Season One’s repeated failures by Grievous and Asajj.

On the hero side, many Jedi from Season One returned, including Mace Windu, Yoda, Kit Fisto, Luminara Unduli, Plo Koon, Aayla Secura, and Ki-Adi-Mundi. New Jedi who appeared this season were the Padawan Barris Offee, Bolla Ropal (killed by Cad Bane), Tera Sinube, Eeth Koth, and Adi Gallia.

We also met Duchess Satine, a character with ties to Obi-Wan Kenobi. Satine is wise and dutiful, believing in non-violence, but also showing that she is quite capable of taking care of herself. Her introduction also leads to an interesting revelation that maybe Kenobi is not as serious and monk-like as he has always appeared. The Jedi are not meant to have relationships, as attachments are dangerous. However, it is implied many times that the two of them were involved, a fact that amused Anakin to no end. (Obviously because if his Master had a secret relationship, maybe his isn’t so bad?) Their relationship clearly ended due to his devotion to the Jedi Order, but the feelings are still there… repressed but not gone.

Ahsoka Tano went through a lot this season. She is still rash and impatient, but we were able to see some improvement with this trait as she learned from her mistakes. Between losing her battalion last season and being grounded by the Jedi this season, she has seen her actions have consequences and she can’t just go off halfcocked like her Master does. Ahsoka was given some new hard lessons to learn, building off those given in Season One. She still acts without thinking, rushes into traps, makes the wrong calls. This is a combination of her youthful inexperience and Anakin’s teachings. How can Anakin properly teach her patience when it’s something he hasn’t yet mastered himself? But, like I said, there is serious growth happening with her character. As the season goes on, you see Ahsoka slowing down, thinking before she acts. I am certain this growth will continue.

Anakin is still struggling with his darker impulses: anger, vengeance, jealousy, arrogance, doubt. The worst sign of this was when he tortured Poggle to get information. He showed no hesitation or remorse in this decision, hiding it from the other Jedi. We saw Palpatine cozy up to Anakin a few times, just more of his creepy grooming that comes to a conclusion in the film series with Episode III. Anakin is showing his weakness more and more, letting his emotions overcome him… especially his attachment to Padme (and jealousy over her past trysts) and his loyalty and fondness towards Ahsoka. He knowingly fell into Cad Bane’s trap and endangered a vital mission to rescue his Padawan. His fear at risking her life almost cost them the mission to destroy the droid factory. At two points this season, Anakin gives in to his darker nature, and when that happens, the Imperial March (also known as Darth Vader’s Theme) plays, underscoring his slip towards the Dark Side.

Attack of the Battle Droids. (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

With the lack of Jar Jarring, the comic relief is mainly served by the goofiness of the Battle Droids. Again I ask, why do the droids have personalities and emotions? What purpose does it serve to have your killing machines feel fear? I seriously doubt it will be explained in further seasons, but I’d really like to know the logic here.

On the other side of the spectrum, we can see the strains of war and the difficult (sometimes impossible) decisions the Republic has to make. When the Jedi Order was threatened, Mace, Anakin, and Kenobi teamed up to Mind Trick Bane, even knowing there was a very real threat of utterly destroying his mind in the process. The devastating electro-proton bomb was a great example of their flawed decision-making. This was an untested and potentially lethal weapon designed to only affect droids. Any number of things could have gone wrong. It did end up causing a massive sink hole that damaged the Dug’s environment and released a long-thought extinct form of life to plague the world. Chancellor Palpatine’s order to return the Zillo Beast to Coruscant showed a blatant disregard for his people’s safety and the tests being run on the Beast were morally questionable. Of course we know that Palp is evil… but the Jedi and Republic go along with his plans with only minor protests. (Do they not have impeachment on Coruscant?)

The Republic is beginning to show the lengths they will go to in order to win the war and maintain control. We can also see that they are not fully respected or trusted by all other planets. The Dugs on planet Malastare, the Mandalorians and the neutral systems… the Republic does not lead by force and fear like the Empire that follows them, but their leadership is not perfect either. The war for control of the galaxy is taking a toll not only on the planets that are directly involved, but all planets. There comes a point where it’s impossible to remain separate from the conflict. This is going to continue to put a strain on the forces of good as the war draws out.

At every turn the Jedi doubt their decisions and the morality of them, coming to the conclusion that the reality of war forces hard choices to be made. At the same time, Ahsoka and Barriss wonder what sort of life awaits them once the war ends. It’s a fair question. The Jedi find themselves with two roles… that of peace keepers and that of soldiers. These seemingly contradictory roles are difficult to justify. After what they’ve seen and been forced to do, the youngest Jedi among them are being forced to grow and learn much more quickly than usual. It is bound to leave scars.

Ahsoka has come a long way. (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

As with Season One, every episode starts with a title screen showing a lesson. Lessons we learn this season are: Lessons are important. (lol) Overconfidence leads to carelessness. Patience is the most important strength you can have. Patience can help to correct mistakes. (There’s actually a lot about patience this season.) It’s hard to know who you can trust, as everyone could have ulterior motives. You must believe in yourself before anyone else will. Trust is a precious gift. For everything you gain, you lose something else. It can be difficult to ask for help. Attachment and compassion are not the same thing. Striving towards honor is a form of honor itself. Just because something is easy doesn’t mean it’s simple. Ignoring the past is dangerous for the future. Don’t dwell too much on the past. (More conflicting messages.) War often comes at the cost of truth. It’s easier to search for the truth than to accept it. A leader needs to know how to follow. Trust builds friendships. It is better to do what’s right over what’s easy. The most dangerous beast comes from within. Who you remember your father as is more important than who he actually was. (I see where they were going with that but… yikes.) Adversity tests friendships. And the impulse for revenge indicates inner pain.

Classic C3PO. (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)

And there you have it, my recap and thoughts about The Clone Wars Season Two. I’m hoping to have the third installment of this series done before another year has passed, mostly because I’m eager to get through all seven seasons and find out what happens. Watching Season Two of The Mandalorian is spurring me on, seeing as how it has strong ties to this series. Continuity is getting stronger in the Star Wars saga and I am pleased to see this trend continue.

I’ll see you soon for more fanboy fun. Until then, keep in mind the many lessons we have learned. Patience is a vital strength, the best leaders know when to follow, your lightsaber is your life… and most importantly, if you see the helmet of someone you’ve decapitated, for fuck’s sake, don’t pick it up. It could be a trap.

Good night folks! (Credit: LucasFilm Animation, Disney)